Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

I am a huge fan of the Christmas season and by Christmas season I mean that very special time during the first 60 or years of the 20th Century in which Christmas was magical, Santa was beloved, and gifts were given more than received. By mid-October I am full of the Rockwellian spirit of a rosey-cheeked man with a warm smile, a welcoming hug, and some sort of magic in the twitch of his nose. It is with that sort of innocence and charm that I approached my wife some months back with a request to build another tiny house. This time my reasoning was bit more extensive though. I wanted to build a micro tiny house that was a sort of rolling Santa’s “throne room” that could be both a backdrop for holiday Santa photos, a Christmastime parade entry in my surrounding counties, and eventually a marketing piece for the 2017 TinyHouseNC Street Festival. By now most r(E)volutionaries know that we also run TinyHouseNC and are organizing a North Carolina tiny house celebration in July 2017. The idea captured the childlike innocence in Crystal as well and we made the decision to move forward with the build. Ladies and gentlemen, Santa Claus is coming to town and he is coming in a tiny house on wheels!

At 8′ x 12′, our salvaged trailer (yes, I know I said I would never use a salvaged trailer again….I am glutton for punishment though!) sports the following specs:

2,995 lb. GVWR

2,000 lb. Top Wind (Bolted On) jack

3″ channel tongue

3” x 2” x 3/16” Angle frame

3,500 lb. EZ Lube Axle w/ Brake Flanges axle

multi leaf springs

ST205/75R-15 Load Range C tires

15″ x 5; White Spoke, 5 on 5 Bolt Pattern wheels

LED D.O.T. Stop, Tail, and Turn lights

The footprint of the Haus will be just 8′ x 8.5′ (64 sq.ft. +/-) with the remaining 2 ft. plus 1 ft. cantilevered, being used for a small porch. The exterior of the Haus will be LP SmartSide cedar texture paneling with cedar shake accent. The roof will be ONDUVILLA in forest green. The house will be completely off-grid for electricity using two 100-watt solar panels and 2 deep cycle batteries. The Haus will not have running water or plumbing so infrastructure needs are minimal. We will be installing two 12-volt (read: cigarette lighter) inlets with USB ports, and bright white LED tape lights. Heating and cooling will be maintained through cross-ventilation and R-13 insulation all around.

Quite frankly, it is not a micro tiny house be built to live in full-time. It is for other purposes and is really just a fun project for us to share in. With a few months it will be outfitted with sleeping provisions and some other creature comforts that will make it either a fun little weekend camper or a “guest bunkhouse” for friends passing through.